This invention relates to an easel and a mahl for facilitating art work, it being a general object of this invention to provide an adjustable traveling mahl over a selectively positionable canvas frame held to the easel by magnetic means adapted for quick positioning and replacement as circumstances require.
The use of mahls is common practice among artist's, who use the device as a rest, usually supported upon a padded end of a stick-like member held by one hand in order to steady the other hand of the artist. Drafting boards and the like have been provided with moveable straight edges, and though there have been straight edges cambered across drawing surfaces, said camber has been minimal and in no way adjustable or sufficient to ensure clearance over a work such as an oil painting or water color painting. That is, prior art straight edges have not been used as a mahl for steadying the painter's hand, and they have not been adjustable such as to ensure adequate clearance over such a work. An object of this invention is to provide this adequate adjustment and clearance.
Straight edges maintained to operate horizontally over drawing boards is common practice, and elaborate guide rails, and rack and pinion, and cable systems have been resorted to for maintaining horizontal positioning at variations in height from bottom to top of the boards. Also, locks have been provided to hold a selected position, and balance means have been provided to carry the weight of the straight edge. However, there has been no prior art balance and braking means for positioning a mahl that can ensure sufficient stability to carry the force applied by the wrist or arm of an artist while applying paint with a brush or the like. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a means that ensures stability of a mahl in a selected position where it can be secured as a stationary arm support for the artist.
Rotatable drawing boards are common practice, and in combination with adjustable straight edges. Such rotation has been angularly calibrated and the drawings taped thereto. However, these prior art drawing boards have not accomodated the traditional artist's canvas which is comprised of a wooden frame over which the canvas per se is stretched. The conventional straight edge rests upon or is immediate to the drawing surface. The thickness of a common canvas can vary considerably, and it has been found quite necessary that the mahl of the present invention be adjustable in height from the canvas supporting surface. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide for this adjustment of substantial height over the canvas supporting surface, and over the supported canvas and frame as well.
Heretofore, drawings only and not painting canvases have been taped to supporting table tops and/or drawing boards. And, removal and replacement thereof has been a considerable chore. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide facility by means of which replacement or selective placement is a mere manipulation of magnetic retainers that adhere to the supporting surface of the table, in this instance a rotatable table that can be universally positioned as may be required for maximum comfort of the artist when exercising this painting proceedures. In practice, the canvas support is a magnetic laminate, and the canvas retainers are magnetic supports.
The foregoing and various other objects and features of this invention will be apparent and fully understood from the following detailed description of the typical preferred forms and applications thereof, throughout which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings.